Within the article, the purpose was to investigate if scientific video games impacted the science education of secondary students. The goal the web adventure video game was primarily focused on teaching aspects of science that form the basis of forensics, as well as motivating adolescents to consider future careers within this field of study. Key elements that support learning through these games were centered on usability, student satisfaction, role-play within the game, and engagement. The forensics video game was based off of the television show “CSI”, and the game was titled “CSI: The Experience–Web Adventures”. The game allows students to navigate their way through virtual crime scenes by having the opportunity to take on the roles of particular professionals in order to solve the crime at hand. The study was done in twelve states, primarily in the midwestern part of the country, and involved students from grades six to twelve. There were three different cases within the video game, each designated for the appropriate grade span. Results displayed that the students received between eleven and fifteen percent gains in content knowledge, as well as an increased trend in positive attitude toward the field of forensic study. Overall, the study was successful by having students gain forensic content knowledge and becoming further interested in potential futures in forensics.
I thought this article was very significant because it incorporated modern forensics to hook students’ interest. With students learning about a popular and intriguing topic such as forensics, their motivation to actively and seriously complete the task at hand was extremely high. I thought the way the material was presented, through a computer video game, also allowed students to respond well to the study. I thought the combination of a modern scientific topic such as forensics to go along with the visual learning tool of video games would allow students to be excited about what they would be learning. As the results yielded improvements in both content knowledge and positive attitude towards a possible career in forensics, I believe using the tool of video games is going to be a very popular avenue for presenting school related information in the future. The use of video games can not only be used within the content of science, but I believe it can also be used in other content areas such as mathematics and social studies to improve students’ content knowledge.
I thought this article was very significant because it incorporated modern forensics to hook students’ interest. With students learning about a popular and intriguing topic such as forensics, their motivation to actively and seriously complete the task at hand was extremely high. I thought the way the material was presented, through a computer video game, also allowed students to respond well to the study. I thought the combination of a modern scientific topic such as forensics to go along with the visual learning tool of video games would allow students to be excited about what they would be learning. As the results yielded improvements in both content knowledge and positive attitude towards a possible career in forensics, I believe using the tool of video games is going to be a very popular avenue for presenting school related information in the future. The use of video games can not only be used within the content of science, but I believe it can also be used in other content areas such as mathematics and social studies to improve students’ content knowledge.
(2011).Learning and motivational impacts of a multimedia science game. Computers and Education, v.57 no 1 p 1425-1433. Retrieved from Education Full Text database.
http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?recid=0bc05f7a67b1790eaa66f6bb533a3449ece31cab45718c28f39b01b71ffe65c4fa6f14bb36162d92&fmt=C